


Deep

by JJBashir



Series: The Aislinn MacMurdo Chronicles [9]
Category: seaQuest, seaQuest DSV
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-06-14
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:32:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJBashir/pseuds/JJBashir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mission away from the boat goes awry and Tim stands vigil at Aislinn's bedside. Season Two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first attempt at trying to fill out Ailsinn's back story and give her more depth instead of just 'newly created character for Tim O'Neill to finally get the girl'. Other sections of the story will contain more and more insights into the character of Aislinn and his is the first that has been heavily edited to take out as much sloppy writing as possible.

He sat next to the bed in Medbay, searching for any sign that the woman laying there heard him, or felt his presence next to her. He was stroking her pale face, brushing the stray wisps of dark brown hair from her cheeks. "I know you can hear me, deep in there," he whispered. "I know you can feel me. I love you so much. Please," he said, his voice cracking. "Please come back to me. Please, Linnie. Come back. Don't leave me." Tim O'Neill lay his head on her barely moving chest, stroking her face. "Come back to me, Linn--" 

**Four Hours Previous:**

"Brody, I want you, Piccolo, and Ortiz to go down to the colony," Captain Nathan Bridger said. "I want you assess the situation there, find out if there are any survivors, find out what the hell happened down there."

The seaQuest was answering a request from Secretary McGrath on behalf of Ford Industries, to find out what had happened to one of their underwater research colonies, Marciquine, a genetic research lab. Ford Industries was one of the UEO's richest contributors, and Marcus Ford was also Commander Jonathan Ford's father. Bridger wasn't happy about the request. Neither was Ford. But it was their duty to aid civilians in danger. 

"Have you been able to get through to the colony?" Bridger asked his on-duty communications officer, Lt. Tim O'Neill. 

"No, sir," he said. "I haven't been able to reach them at all, on any channels. It's like the whole place just shut down. 

Bridger nodded, considering his options. Now that he had two Communications experts on board, it gave him some maneuvering room. O'Neill was an excellent officer and a whiz at what he did, but he could be a little erratic and this was going to call for someone with a little moreexperience out in the field. He looked at O'Neill. "Get MacMurdo down here," he told O'Neill. 

"Aye sir," he said, and hailed Lt. Aislinn MacMurdo to the wardroom. 

They were still discussing the problem when she walked in the door. She was five foot seven with dark brown hair and deep green eyes. She wore silver framed glasses and with her slender frame she looked much like a female version of Tim O'Neill. The men in the room looked up at her entrance. She was an unusually beautiful young woman and the severe way she wore her hair and her serious face did absolutely nothing to hide that fact. But she was also a friend and comrade that they were glad to see. 

"What can I do for ye, Captain Bridger?" she asked crisply. She came from a family of sailors and was all business while on duty. 

"You're taking a little trip, MacMurdo," Bridger said. "I want you to go down to Marciquine with Brody, Piccolo and Ortiz. Get communications re-established, to here and topside." His first choice had been to send Henderson, but with Piccolo going he need her to steer the boat. Aislinn also had more of a pure scientific background than Henderson or O'Neill due to her marine science studies, she would understand what would have happened more if some of the work down there was damaged. She was not the very best, but she could hold her own and was better suited to a field mission. 

"Aye, sir," she answered automatically, and let her eyes wander over to Tim O'Neill. Tim HATED when she went down on landing parties. He hated when she left the ship at all, except in his company. 

"Sir?" he was saying, "Don't you think that I would be a better--" 

"No, O'Neill, not this time," Bridger said. "I'm going to need you here. You're more familiar with the seaQuest systems...just in case." 

"But, sir--" 

"I'm more than capable of handling any assignment the captain requires of me," she said, looking right at O'Neill. This was an argument they were probably going to have for the rest of her naval career. Aislinn loved Tim dearly, and was sure they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, but she was more than capable of taking care of herself and the sooner he got that through his thick head, the happier she would be. 

Bridger shot Tim a hard look. The discussion as far as he was concerned was over. She nodded at the captain as James Brody, the Marine in charge of Security on the seaQuest, stood up. 

"I'll go fetch Piccolo and Ortiz right now, Captain," Brody said. "Let's go, Mac," he said. 

"Right behind ye, Lieutenant," she said. 

The colony was dark. Some of the lights had been broken in the dome, and it gave the place an eerie grayish overcast. It was also hot--it seemed the atmospheric controls were on the fritz, too. Everyone in the landing party was stripped down to their tank tops. Piccolo was admiring the view. Aislinn always seemed a little on the skinny side--she never walked around the boat with her uniform top unzipped, and she always wore a T-shirt under that anyway. But her arms were built--he could see the definition of the muscles. She was actually built much like Lonnie Henderson, though her chest was a little smaller. Her long hair was pulled back as always, but strands of it were already sticking to her skin. She had a large pack on her back, filled with repair equipment, and she had a laser pistol holstered on her shoulder. 

"You OK, Mac?" Piccolo asked her, as she adjusted the pack. 

"Yup," she said, grabbing a rifle. Tony shuddered at the business-like way she checked and cocked her weapon. She was a hell of a lot tougher than he had ever thought. "I’m sure Brody rather us move out than jabber," she ordered. 

Piccolo smirked. "Bossy broad, ain't she?" he commented. 

 

Tim was tapping his fingers against the console. He hated the waiting, especially when it was Aislinn on the other end. He was worried about her. He couldn't stand how she actually loved these crazy, danger filled landing missions. He wanted her here, so he would know she was safe--or at least if they weren't they would at least be together. 

"O'Neill?" 

Tim looked up to see his captain. Bridger knelt down next to him. "She'll be fine, Tim. You know, she's a lot stronger than you give her credit for," he said. It was an open secret that the communications officers were in a relationship, something that was against regulations but if Bridger spent all his time hunting down fraternization violations he’d have no time to actually run the boat. As long as it didn’t interfere, he allowed it.

Tim nodded and sighed. "I know, sir," he said. "But she gets--I don't know--reckless, sometimes. I can't help but worry." 

"She's with a good group," Bridger said. "Besides, we all know what you'll do to Brody, Ortiz and Piccolo if they let anything happen to her." 

 

Brody looked around the clearing. "OK, we're in the clear. Move out, gang." He moved forward, followed by Piccolo, MacMurdo and Ortiz on the rear. 

"You sure you OK, Mac?" Tony asked quietly. Her bangs were plastered to her face and her arms were shiny with sweat. 

"I'm fine, Piccolo," she snapped. "Stop askin' already." 

"I'm just makin' sure---" 

"Tony," she growled. 

"Hey," Ortiz said, jumping to Piccolo's defense, "you know Tim will kill us all if we let anything happen to you, Mac." 

"I'm gonna kill you if you don't stop---" She snapped her head to the left. "Jimmy. Jim, stop." 

Brody didn’t much mind the familiarity between the members of the away team. He encouraged it really. It wasn’t just the Marine mentality of ‘you’re trusting the man next to you’, these were his friends. It was bound to be bleed over whether you liked it or not. Jim Brody tended to distrust people who didn’t like it. "What?" 

"Do you hear that?" she asked. 

Brody shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing. Why?" 

"What is it?" Ortiz asked. "Whatta hear, Linn?" 

"To the left...about forty feet from here. Eleven o'clock." She gently nudged Brody out of her way. "I've got point, Jim," she said.  
"Wait a minute! I'm the--" 

"Let 'er take it, Brody," Ortiz said. "Bats should have such good ears and she’s a crack shot." 

"But--" Brody protested. 

"Jim, I watched her pick a sub out of seven thousand feet of water just by listening to the screws, man! Trust me, she--" 

"Mother pus--" Tony shouted, swinging his rifle. Linn was already shooting. A large, catlike creature landed twelve feet in front of them, most of its head ripped away. 

"Holy--" Brody breathed. 

"Let's pay attention, shall we ladies?" MacMurdo said. "Let's go." 

"This place is very wild," Piccolo noted. 

"Well, they were engaging in some pretty heavy duty genetic engineering down here," Ortiz offered. 

MacMurdo clicked her tongue. "See what happens when ye go muckin' about with things ye've got no business muckin' about with?" she said. 

Brody chuckled. "You sound like Tim," he said. 

"Oh great," Tony moaned. "Just what we need---another whiny, neurotic, overly moral--" 

"Shush." she said. "Mig, do you hear that?" 

"Yeah," he said. "I wish I didn't." 

"What? WHAT?" Piccolo asked. 

"Snakes," she said. 

"Rattlers," Ortiz confirmed. “Possibly, I can’t be sure but once you’ve hear that sound once you don’t usually mistake it.” Which was strange, because even in strictly research facilities, reptiles were usually the one lifeform left off of the manifest due to their tendency to go venomous in experimental situations. Animal weaponization was a hot button topic topside.

"Aw, bite me, man," Piccolo whined. "I HATE snakes." 

Aislinn smiled at Tony sweetly. "Then however do ye look in the mirror every mornin', Tony?" 

"Ha ha. Very funny, MacMurdo." 

"Can it, you two," Brody said. "There's the Administration building," he said. "Let's move out, squids." The building was covered in vines, the stonework was crumbling and there were holes and broken glass everywhere.  
"How old is this place?" Aislinn asked. She put her hand on the corner of the building; the concrete crumbed in her hand like paper-mache

"Ten, fifteen years old," he answered. "Why?" 

"This looks like a hell of a lot more overgrowth than three or four days," she said, quoting the amount of time the colony had been out of touch. "More like thirty or forty years' worth. It doesn’t make any sense." 

"Maybe it has something to do with the genetics research going on here," Miguel said. 

"Yeah," Piccolo agreed. "This place is a dump. You figure Ford's old man could do better than this." It was little secret that Commander Ford’s father, Charles, and his company Ford Freeport: Aquacultural Engineering were trying to rebuild its reputation after some terrible incidents in the Pacific with its underwater farming projects. Something like this getting out to the public could be catastrophic, both for the company and for the EUO who had granted the ocean floor parcels and considerable funds for research. Everyone assembled had no illusions to why seaQuest had been assigned to this mission. 

But it wasn’t their jobs to pass judgment, it was to restore communications. They made their way up the stairs cautiously, careful to watch for any creature, potentially harmful or not. Brody was back on point, with MacMurdo and Piccolo side by side and Ortiz at the rear. 

Tony cocked his head towards Aislinn. "Ah, you hear anything, kid?" he asked her. 

"Not a thing," she said.

"Cause--ah--I'm pretty nervous about this snake thing," he stammered. 

"You and me both, Tony," she whispered back. "You and me both." 

They stood in front of the door marked 'Communications Center'. Brody carefully ran the tip of his rifle around the doorknob. A small, green snake fell to the floor. Broody shot it. 

"Nice job, Brody, killing garter snakes," Tony snickered. 

"That probably wasn’t a garter snake," Ortiz said. "It could have been a green mamba. Long and skinny..." 

She nodded. "What would you say, Mig--ten or fifteen times deadlier than a cobra?" 

"Oh fifteen, definitely." 

Tony nodded. "Nice job, Brody," he repeated. 

They entered the room, and Aislinn headed straight for the console. Many of the indicator lights were out and there looked like there was a lot of damage. She started flipping switches as Brody, Piccolo and Ortiz started setting the rooms to rights, and clearing away debris. 

"Careful, guys," said Ortiz. "We don't want to get bit by anything." 

"How's it look, Mac?" Brody asked. 

She looked up at the Security Chief. "Pretty bad--but not impossible," she grinned. "Let's see if all those hours I spent nagging Luke and Lonnie have paid off, shall we?" 

Brody shook his head. "Man, if there's anything I hate, it's a clever woman," he joked. 

"That's right," she muttered. "Laugh it up." 

It took her the better part of an hour to replace the damaged circuitry and wires. She started flipping switches and was satisfied to see a healthy comm board light up. She put the headset on and started trying to hail the seaQuest. "seaQuest? This is Marciquine colony, hailing UEO vessel four-six hundred. seaQuest, can you read me, over?" She took out her PAL. "O'Neill? Tim, it's Aislinn, do you copy?" She whacked the PAL with her hand a few times. Nothing. 

"Well?" Ortiz said. 

"The good news, it's not the equipment, Mig," she said. "The bad news-I can't get a blessed thing--something's got to be jamming the signal." 

Ortiz smiled. "You must be sick to death of jammers, Aislinn." 

"You have NO idea, Miguel," she said, cautiously looking on the underside of the comm board. Aislinn’s first mission had involved disarming a jamming device, and they’d encountered more of them in recent months, usually of Deon Corporation design. "Nothing here, gents," she said. "If there is a jammer, it's not attached here." 

"OK, Mig, Tony, you guys get out there and try and find that thing," Brody said. "I'll search in the building, Mac will keep working here." 

"No way," Tony whined. "Why do I gotta go out dere with all dem snakes?" he complained. 

"Because I said so, and I outrank you," Brody said. 

Aislinn chuckled and turned her head to hide her smile from Tony. And to see what was making that noise at the door. 

 

That was how she saw the rattler that sat coiled in the doorway. 

 

It was beyond ready to strike. It hadn't made any noise. Except for now, a brief rattle, barely audible. Except to her. And Brody was the closest to the door. And it was going to go for him. And she wasn't a fast enough shot to take it out with the pistol. There was only one thing she could think of to do. "Jimmy!" she yelped and exploded forward, knocking Brody across the room. She was hoping that her explosion out of the chair gave her enough momentum to take herself out of harm's way. The white hot pain in her thigh told her otherwise. She screamed as she felt another jab, and another, before Miguel turned. "Oh shit!" he screamed and swung his rifle barrel around to knock the snake away from Aislinn. The snake turned malevolently as it hit the ground, ready to strike again, when it exploded in half.


	2. Chapter 2

Miguel turned to find out who made the kill. 

Tony's hand was shaking. "Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod...." 

Brody was already scampering to Linn's prone figure. "Aislinn!" he shouted. 

She on the ground, clutching her leg. "Oh God! It hurts! It hurts!" she said over and over. The distress was clear in her voice.

"Sssshhh. I know it hurts," Brody was saying. "Don't move, OK, Linnie? Just lie still." He was already looking through the med kit. 

"Ay, Madre de Dios," Miguel said. Her leg was swelling like a balloon. He ripped the cotton of her pants away to reveal three sets of puncture wounds. "Tony! Help me!" He gestured to the desk. He and Tony picked her up gently, and lay her on the desktop. "No! Keep her leg, LOWER, Piccolo. Lower than her heart, to stop the flow of the poison." 

Brody kept looking through the kit. "There's nothing in here for snake bites!" he spat. "SHIT!" 

"Gimme your knife," Ortiz ordered Brody. Jim handed Miguel his Swiss Army knife; Miguel took an antiseptic pad from the med kit and wiped the blade clean. "How you doin', mija?" he asked Aislinn. 

Her teeth were clenched together tightly. "I've--done better--boyo," she gasped. 

He touched her face gently. "It's gonna get worse," he said, cutting her pant leg off. 

She managed a small, tight grin. "Doesn't--it always," she said. "Do--what you have to--Mig." 

Miguel smiled. "That's my girl." He held the knife carefully. "Scream if you have to, 'kay?" 

She nodded, and looked at Brody, her eyes wide. 

Brody reached over and grabbed her hand. "You squeeze real tight, OK?" he said. 

She nodded, as Miguel made the first of six criss-cross cuts on the puncture wounds. She screamed, and Tony winced as he watched the tears run down her face. Brody gritted his teeth, and Tony could see the fingertips turning blue. By the time Miguel finished Linn was nearly passed out with the pain, but Brody never once made her let go. Tony took some gauze pads out of the med kit, and started to press down on the wounds. 

"Tony! NO!" she screamed. She looked up at him. "They--have to. Bleed. The poison. Goes out." 

Piccolo nodded. "I gotcha, Mac." he said. He cleaned the blood up off her leg, and from the floor. 

Brody was placing his belt around her thigh, as high as he could get it. It was a last resort field trauma move, but that’s exactly what this was. He was sure she’d rather lose the leg than die.

"You've--been--waitin'--for a chance--to cop--a good feel," she whispered. "Haven't--ye?" 

"Yeah," he said. "Just the romantic mood I wanted to set," he smirked. He pulled the belt a little, and saw the blood flow a little faster from her wounds. "Sorry about that, kid," he said. 

“S’alright.” She nodded. "Mig," she whispered. 

"Don't talk, Linnie," he said. 

"The--comm--Mig. I've--" 

"Shush, Mac...you've got to--" 

She struggled to sit up. "Shush--me--foot!" she managed to stammer. "We've--got to--get--seaQuest." She looked at Tony. "Carry--me, Tony." 

Piccolo looked at Ortiz and Brody. "Uh--I think the chief and the Lieutenant here would rather I didn't, huh, guys?" 

They both nodded. 

She looked at them, shaking the fuzziness out of her head. "We--have to--contact--seaQuest-- boyos," she said. "That's--what the captain-sent me--" 

"That was before a seven foot rattlesnake had your leg for lunch, Lieutenant," Piccolo said. "We've got to get you out of here. And fast." 

"Tony," Brody said quietly. "We can't carry Linn out of here. The trip might--" Jim shook his head. "We can't." 

Piccolo looked at Brody in shock. "Whatta mean, we can't?" 

MacMurdo sat up, leaning on her elbows. "What--Jimmy is--tryin' hard not--to say--Ton'--is he dinnae--think I'll survive the--trip--if anything else--happens."  
Ortiz, Brody and Piccolo all looked at each other. 

"Me--name--is MacMurdo, lads---not Henderson," she said. "Dinnae-expect me--to fall--apart--all over--the place." She shook her head again, and slumped against the table. 

"LINN!" Miguel was at her side in a second. This was his friend...his best friend's girl. He couldn't face Tim, not unless he had done everything in his power to save her. "Linnie, talk to me, mija," he said. "Aislinn, c'mon baby. Tell me something. You know what Tim's gonna do to Brody if I don't get you outta here?" 

His heart leapt to see her smile a little. "Jim? I--think--you're--worried--about--yer--own--sorry arse," she mumbled. 

"That's it," Piccolo said. "All this cheer-us-up chatting is nice guys, but we gotta get Dr. Smith back here, quick." He grabbed the rifle and looked at Miguel. "You comin', man?" he asked. 

"Where?" Miguel was holding Linn's hand, stroking it gently.

"Back to the seaQuest," Piccolo said. "I ain't facing Tim and Lucas alone, man." 

"No, Tony," Brody said. "I'll go. Stay with her, Mig," he said. 

"But--" 

"No, buts, man. Tony's right. We've wasted enough time." Brody threw Miguel the laser rifle. "You think you can find out what's screwing with the signal from here?" 

Ortiz shook his head. "I dunno, Jim," he said. "And she's in pretty bad shape." Linn was barely conscious. 

"Keep her talking, Mig. We'll be back soon," Jim said, heading out the door, Tony on his heels. "I hope," he muttered to himself. 

"Hey! Hey, mija, talk to me!" Miguel gently patted Aislinn's clammy face. He had loosened the makeshift tourniquet, more worried about the damage it would cause than the poison in her system. He looked down at the body of the reptile that had caused this. Tony was right--it was close to seven feet long, and the fangs looked huge. How much cardiotoxin had this thing pumped into Linn's five foot seven frame before Tony killed it? 

He could understand why his best friend got bent out of shape when Bridger sent her on these missions. Miguel knew she had a brown belt in judo and according to Brody she was one of the tops in his hand-to-hand combat class, but she looked so fragile sometimes. One of those times being right at this moment. "Aislinn!" She was slipping into unconsciousness. He had to keep her talking, keep her awake. "Aislinn Elizabeth!" he shouted, remembering something Tim had told him. "Aislinn Elizabeth MacMurdo! Wake up!" 

Her eyes snapped opened. "Aye?" she said. She sounded far away, like she was in another room. 

"Wake up, Linn. Talk to me," he ordered, trying to be more sailor than friend. 

"Och--it's--you--Mig." she sighed. "I-thought it---was me---mother." 

He smiled. "Tell me a story, Linn," he said. "Tell me--tell me about the first time you and Tim met." He'd heard this story what seemed like a million times already, but she told it so differently from Tim, with more detail. It was more vivid. 

"Aren't--ye tired--of hearin'--that ol' thing?" she murmured. 

"Never, mija, never," he said, stroking her face. "Tell me again. Why were you going to your cousin's house again?" 

She haltingly told Miguel the story, Miguel prompting her when she started to falter. 

"And he just stood there, barefoot?" 

"Aye--with--this look. Like--a deer--caught in--somebody's headlight's." 

Miguel nodded. "Ah," he said knowingly. "The 'Ohmigod-she's-so-beautiful-I-think-I'm-gonna-die' look. I would have given good money to see that." 

"Worth--every--penny," she whispered. " 'M so--tired, Mig." 

"Oh no you don't," he said, shaking her gently. "You're not leaving me here all alone, Lieutenant. Wakey-wakey." He looked at the console, still flickering. He had an idea. "What if it's not the signal being jammed, Linn?" He dragged the desk over to the comm station. "What if--what if you switched a relay or something?"He watched her rise, struggling against the effects of the poison. "I suppose," she whispered. "I--my--hands--won't--" she tried raising her arms, and failed. "I'll be your hands, mija," Miguel said. He glanced at his watch. It had been at least five minutes since Jim and Tony had left the room. It felt like a year. It had taken them almost fifteen to make it across the colony to the Administration building. _I hope you guys are running like hell,_ he thought to himself. "OK, Linn," he said to the barely conscious Aislinn. "What do I do?" 

 

Jim looked out from behind the stone wall. There was another one of those large catlike creatures prowling around the dead body they had left. It was larger, with large curving incisors. Its tawny eyes were scanning the surrounding area, seemingly searching for whatever had done this. It let out a snarl of fury and started sniffing again.  
"Aw, man," Tony said from behind him. "Whatta we gonna do now, Brody?" 

Jim looked at the big cat as it swung its head and looked right at him. Its eyes narrowed in a strange recognition and it snarled at Brody and Piccolo. "RUN!" he said. He and Tony scampered to their feet. "NO, Tony! You head to the seaQuest! One of us has to make it through!" 

"But, Lieutenant---" 

"That's an ORDER, Seaman!" Brody snapped. He waved his rifle at the cat. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!!" he yelled at it. 

"Whatta you DOIN', Brody!?" Piccolo shouted. 

"Go! NOW!" Brody ordered. He took off running. The cat followed him. 

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," Tony muttered the whole way back to the ship. 

It took Miguel five minutes until he found a small, circular object, buried deep in the circuitry that Aislinn had carefully and slowly explained how to unravel.

"Hey, Linn! I found something!" He held it up for her to look at. It was blinking in a random fashion. "It's too small to be a detonator. I think," he added. 

She nodded. Barely. "Pull it--out, Mig," she whispered. "Care-fully. Don't--be messin'--up all--me hard--work, now," she grinned. 

He grinned back. "Yes, ma'am," he said, and snipped the connecting wires away from the device. He could hear faint static on the headset. "I've got some static, Mac." 

"Set--the frequency--indicator--the lower left," she instructed. "To--the seaQuest." 

Miguel did it, he knew the frequency codes of the boat as well as either of the communications officers who normally worked the conn. "UEO vessel seaQuest, this is Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz, calling from Marciquine colony, do you copy, over?" 

"MIGUEL!" he heard Tim exclaim over the line. "Where have you guys BEEN?!" 

Tim turned to Captain Bridger. "Sir, I've got Ortiz on the line from Marciquine." 

"Put him on the main speakers, O'Neill," Bridger ordered. "Hello, Mr. Ortiz." 

"We got it, Linn," he whispered over to Aislinn. 

She nodded then fell back, out cold. 

"SHIT! Linnie! NO!" He shook her hard. 

 

"SHIT! Linnie! NO!" They heard on the speakers. 

Tim's blood ran ice cold. "Miguel! MIGUEL!" 

"Ortiz, what's going on over there?" Bridger ordered. 

"It's MacMurdo, sir," Ortiz said. "She was attacked, by a large--rattlesnake, sir." 

"A--what?" said Bridger"How bad?" 

"She's out now sir. It happened about--twenty minutes ago. Piccolo and Brody were on their way back to the seaQuest. 

How bad is it, Mr. Ortiz?" Bridger snapped. 

"Pretty bad, sir," they heard from behind them. Tony Piccolo stood, dripping wet on the bridge. "She was in and out of it when we left." 

"Where's Brody?" Bridger snapped. 

"Getting chased by an overgrown tabby cat," Piccolo said. "and he had the keys to the launch. I figgered you didn't want me hotwirin' it or sumthin' like dat." 

Bridger waved that aside. "Dr. Smith, get down to launch bay two." 

"You're gonna need a pretty big landing party, sir," Ortiz said over the commlink. 

"Yeah," Piccolo chimed in. "It's a jungle out there, man." He caught O'Neill's hard gaze. "I'm not kiddin', man! Snakes the size of ya cabin, cats bigger'n a car! We gotta go get Jim and Linn outta there sir!" he pleaded with Bridger. 

"Ford, Henderson, I want you two to lead the next party." Piccolo wouldn't be dripping water all over his bridge for no good reason. "Take who ever you need to. Get our people back here, pronto!" 

"Aye, sir!" Ford was already out of his seat, Lonnie close behind. 

"Hurry, guys," Miguel said. "I--oh man." 

"Just--just say it, Miguel," Tim said quietly. 

"Oh, man, Tim--we did everything we could for her, Timmy," Miguel said, his voice on the verge of tears. "She's gonna be OK, man, I promis--" 

"Don't lie to me, Miguel," O'Neill said. "How is she? Right now?" " 

Tim--" she whispered. 

"You still up?" Ortiz said gleefully. "I though you went to bed HOURS ago. 

"Tim--tell--him--Mig--" she whispered. 

"She's barely awake, Tim," Miguel said. "I--I don't know how much longer I can keep her that way. Fixing this thing kept her brain occupied for a while." 

Tim wanted to tell Miguel to tell her he loved her. He couldn't. Not here. Not on the bridge. 

"Tell--him," she managed to wheeze out, "I--knowwww..." 

"Shit," Miguel said. He checked her pulse. It was so faint, and barely there. 

"Miguel!" 

"She told me," Miguel said, "to tell you 'she knows'. She knows--Linnie!" He ripped the headset off his head as he felt her pulse flitter out. "Shit!" He started CPR.

"Miguel! MIGUEL! ANSWER ME!"


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm busy, Tim!" he shouted between compressions. "C'mon, baby, breathe," he muttered before he gave her two of his own then started compressions again, counting them out loud. "One one thousand, two one thousand--" 

 

"Oh God," Tim whispered. He could hear Miguel counting faintly in the background. He knew for sure when he heard 'nine one thousand.' 

Miguel was doing CPR. 

On Aislinn. 

Tim crossed himself right there and started praying in his heart. 

Tony looked at O'Neill. "Oh, man--we didn't even see the damned thing," he was saying to Tim. "Oh man...Oh God, please..." 

 

Miguel felt her pulse. It was faint but back. He heard her take a shallow breath on her own. "Good girl," he whispered. "That's my girl." He grabbed the headset. "Whatever prayer you're saying over there, O'Neill, keep saying it. She's back." 

Bridger coughed. He didn't realize he was holding his breath. 

"C'mon baby, stay with me," Miguel was saying to her over and over. "Stay. Tim. He needs you, mija. Just a little bit longer." 

 

Tim had switched the colony to a separate channel when Ford announced he had landed, because he and his party were communication through their PALs and needed to communication directly with Captain Bridger. Because of that, he could hear every word Miguel was saying. 

Miguel was sitting on top of the desk, cradling her in his arms the best he could. He stroked her pretty face. "Man, no matter what happens to you, you are just a knockout. Y'know that?"   
Tim didn't know whether to feel relieved or jealous. 

Miguel checked her breathing again. It was shallowing out...he didn't know how much longer she could breathe on her own. "Y'know, Mac, " he said. "We are all jealous as hell of Tim. I mean, What did he do, to get such a great girl, y'know?" He rocked her back and forth. "OK, I admit it--I wanted to hit on you when you first got here. Hell, so did everyone. I mean--Kreig was already setting wedding dates and everything." He chuckled as he stroked her long brown hair. " But, I KNEW, mija. I could tell the first time I saw you look at Tim. I knew you had it bad. He told me all about you, y'know. I thought he was bullshitting me--but then I thought about it. Since when does TIM tell bullshit stories about GIRLS?" He laughed. 

Tim chuckled quietly, too. He didn't want Ortiz to know he was hearing this. He felt better, knowing it was Miguel down there with Aislinn. Mig would pull her through. 

"And the letters?" he continued. "Man! That's what impressed me. I mean, you two weren't even dating, and you were writing back and forth all the time. He drove me crazy, looking for your birthday present that year, man. If I went to one more art gallery, I was gonna puke. I swear to God, I was." 

"Then you came aboard. Geez! We all about died. You were gorgeous! Drop dead. And then you and Tim did start going together. And--I was jealous. Not of Tim. Of you." 

Tim nearly choked. 

"I mean---Tim's my best friend. My buddy. I--I don't know if I could survive on this tub without him. He's my lifeline, y'know? And now--I had to share him. I know--it's childish. But--I love him, Linnie. Almost as much as you do. I didn't want him to get hurt. I guess that's why I was such a jerk to you at first." 

Tim smiled. Miguel had been a jerk to Linn while they were rebuilding the seaQuest. That's when he had told Miguel that Linn was the ONE-that someday, he was going to marry this girl.   
"But--you saw right past that. That's why you never got mad when I dragged Tim of on some crazy night out with the guys--you knew...oh shit, Linn...c'mon, baby, hang on a little bit longer! C'mon, Linn! I--couldn't face Tim if you died here. I can't. If--if you're gonna up and die on us, Mac, at least have the decency to do it in front of Tim, so he can say good-bye!" 

Tim fought the tears threatening to stream down his face.

 

Miguel smiled as her pulse strengthened a bit. "Oh sure, piss you off...that's what you want, huh? Fight, Aislinn. Dammit, fight. Fight for Tim. He loves you so much, mija. He'd do anything for you, Mac, so do this for him. Fight it. If anyone can, it's you. You're the strongest person I know, Aislinn. Stronger than Tim, stronger than Ford. Hell--you're even stronger than Bridger. You're tough--fight it. Fight Death. Fight and WIN, Goddamit!" 

"Miguel!" 

Ortiz heard his name being called and recognized it, of course. "Down here, Commander!" he yelled in relief. 

 

Tim switched the channel off, and sat back. He had a lot to thank Miguel for---even if she-- _Don't think like that, Tim! Mig's right. She's strong. Stronger than you, stronger than Bridger, even. She'll be OK. She has to be._

 

"Orti--Holy mother--" Ford said, spying the dead snake, lying in two pieces on the floor. Miguel was sitting on a desk, Aislinn cradled in his arms. There was dried blood streaking her bare leg, making it look pink in the light of the room. "Dr. Smith!" 

Wendy Smith rushed into the room. "She's alive, barely," Wendy said, touching her head. she smiled at Miguel. "You did good, Ortiz." She started barking orders to the medics that had come with in order to stabilize the patient enough to bring her back to seaQuest. She looked at Ford. "Bring that," she said, pointing to the snake. 

Ford looked sick. "But--" 

Ortiz scooped up the two pieces. "She needs it for analysis, Commander, if she's going to find a better anti-venom," he said. "Besides, I want to stuff it and give it to Piccolo as a birthday present." 

"TONY killed that thing?" Henderson said, just entering the room. "We just found Brody, sir. He's cut up pretty bad." 

Ford shook his head. He was going to have some serious words with his father about this. "Let's get them back aboard. NOW." 

 

Wendy Smith was up to her ears in emergency; Medbay resembled a front line trauma unit. 

MacMurdo had flatlined again on her way back to seaQuest. It was miracle they had gotten her back at all. Wendy was administering all the anti-venom she had on hand, but it didn't seem to be working as effectively as it needed to. Jim Brody wasn’t in great shape either. His left arm was ripped to shreds, he had lost a lot of blood, it was going to take almost all the blood factors she had on hand in order to facilitate the repairs to damaged muscles so that he didn’t lose the limb outright. 

"Oh my God," she heard. She turned her head to see Lucas Wolenczak staring at the woman she was connecting to the monitor. "Oh God, it's true," he said. "Linn," he whispered. He hadn't been on the bridge when Tony had come back. The rumor mill had it that Aislinn was close to death--Lucas didn't believe it. Until now. 

"Lucas," Wendy said. "I need you to get to Captain Bridger. I need you to go down to that colony," she said. 

"I need to stay here with Linn, doctor!" Lucas exclaimed. 

"The anti-venom I have here isn't working! I need to know what this is exactly, to see if there is anything in the colony databases in regards to this animal while I run tests on the dead snake Ortiz brought back. I might not have enough time to do all the research, I need you to go through the computers over there. I need anything you can find, Lucas. Any small thing at all." 

Lucas nodded, fighting his need to be with Linn. He could do more to help her by doing what Dr. Smith asked. "Right away, Dr. Smith," he said. 

 

Ford was sitting on the edge of the moonpool, stroking Darwin's head. Linn was one of his good friends. She had to make it. "She's gotta be OK, Darwin," he said quietly. "She's gotta be."   
"Dreamy is strong, Ford." Darwin said. "She has strong heart." 

"Yeah, well," Ford said. "It's not her heart I'm worried about, Darwin." 

Tim O'Neill stood in the darkened shadows of the room, watching Ford. Jon Ford had become a good friend over the years, and that extended to Aislinn as well. She and Jon were good friends in their own right, and Tim needed him...needed to be with the people that Linn loved the most. 

Tim swallowed. He never really thought about the impact Aislinn's presence brought to the seaQuest. She was as much part of it now as those who had been here in the beginning. He had such a hard time separating the two of them in his own mind, that he forgot that she moved and breathed independent of him as well. Mig, Brody, Ford--they all had their own unique relationships with Linn MacMurdo and he suspected that they would need him much more than he would need them in the next few hours. 

"Ford is afraid," Darwin said. 

"Yeah, Darwin," he replied. "Yeah--I guess I am." 

"He's not the only one," Tim said, stepping out of the shadows. "Hi Dar." 

"Tim!" Darwin squeaked. "Don't be afraid, Tim." 

Ford looked up. "Hey, Tim." 

"Hey, Jon," Tim answered. He leaned down to rub the dolphin's head. 

"How you holdin' up?" Ford asked. 

Tim took a deep breath. "As well as can be expected, under the circumstances, I guess." He sat down next to Ford, still stroking Darwin's head. "I never knew, Jon...how many people really care." 

Ford smiled. "She's a popular lady," he said. 

"I mean--you should have heard Miguel down there with her." Tim swallowed. "What happened, down there?" he asked. 

"He was a mess when we got there. It looked like he had done a lot of crying." Ford shook his head. "I don't even know the whole story, Tim. All I know is that Linn got bit by a snake. A seven foot long rattlesnake, but a snake all the same." 

Tim nodded. "How's Brody?" 

"His arm's ripped up pretty good. He's worse than Mig," Ford said. He sighed. "You’d think potentially losing his arm would be one his mind, but no. He's terrified of facing you, Tim. He thinks you're gonna kill him or something." 

Tim shook his head. "I'm going to go down and check on him, sir," he said. He reached down to stroke Darwin's smooth head head one last time. 

Ford nodded. "That would be a good idea, Tim," he said. 

"You coming?" 

"Nah," said Ford. "I'm just gonna hang with Darwin for a while," he said. Tim nodded. Jonathan Ford was a man of action. Sitting bedside vigil over his friend wouldn't help either one of them. He’d rather sit in silence alone until he had his next set of orders to follow. "Take care of yourself, Tim." 

"You too, Jonathan...you too." 

 

Jim Brody checked to see if most of the medical staff was out of the room. He didn't want to be shooed out of the room. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. She looked worse than the last time he had seen her, much worse. He looked at the monitors that she was hooked up to. Her heart rate was low and her breathing looked shallow, like she was fighting for every breath. She was pale, pale, white. Her skin was chalky, her lips looked gray. 

"Aw, shit, Mac," Brody said. He shifted his slinged arm. It was the first time he ever saw her long hair loose and it lay against the pillow, looking as lackluster as the rest of her. "You idiot," he sighed. "Like I don't feel bad enough. You look like hell, kid. Damned stubborn Scot--you just had to up and be the noble one, didn'tcha?" 

Jim dashed away a tear streaming down his face with his good hand. "You make a sucky hero, bookworm." He leaned down and hesitantly kissed her forehead. "So hurry up and come the hell back, so I can repay you for saving my sorry ass. OK? Dinner--you, me and O'Neill. Any place, Quarry's, Wayfarer's--you name it. For starters, anyway." 

"How's she doin'?" The voice came from behind him. He looked up to find Miguel Ortiz standing in the doorway. 

"Crappy," he said, waving at the monitors. 

Miguel walked over to the bed. "How you doin'?" 

Brody looked down. "Crappy," he whispered. "Oh man, Mig--what if she doesn't---" 

Ortiz shook his head. "She's gonna make it. She's NOT gonna die. She's strong, a fighter. She'll make it. Right, Slugger?" he said to Aislinn. "You're gonna be just fine." 

Brody looked down at her again. He studied her face, not for the first time either. Linn-watching was practically a hobby among some of the members of the seaQuest. Even without her most stunning feature showing, the deep green eyes, Aislinn MacMurdo was a beautiful woman, no matter how much she worked to make everyone forget that. "Man," he said after long minutes.

"She's really gorgeous with her hair down, isn't she, Mig?" 

Miguel nodded. "That she is, Jim. That she is." 

Brody smiled. "You think she'd throw O'Neill over for me? Seeing how she saved my life and all that?" he joked. 

Ortiz laughed. "Never happen, Jim. Don't torture yourself. Besides, if I don't have a chance in hell--" 

"You?" Brody snorted. "Get off it, man." 

"Hey," Miguel said, "I've been told I'm extremely charming--" 

"Yeah--that's not what Lonnie told me Linn said about you, man," Brody snickered. 

"Oh, is that so," Miguel teased. "And should I tell you what your favorite communications officer says about you?" 

"She wants me," Brody said, jokingly. 

"In her nightmares, maybe," Ortiz shot back. 

 

"Sure guys...plot how to steal my girl, right under her nose," they heard from the doorway. "With your luck and her hearing, she'll probably kill you before she even gets out of the bed." 

 

They looked up to see Tim O'Neill standing in the doorway, a sad grin on his face. 

Brody swallowed hard. He felt like throwing up. "Aw, man--aw, Tim, man," he stammered, standing up. "Tim, I'm sorry, man. I--we were all joking around--I didn't even hear the stupid snake, man." 

Tim walked over and clasped Brody's good shoulder. "It's OK, Jim," he said. 

"No! It's not OK!" Brody shouted. He was on the verge of crying. "She--she just had this look on her face, and her eyes got all big and she pushed me--" He was sobbing now, taking large gulps of air to finish his statement. "It was supposed to be me, man. I should be lyin' on that bed, Tim. It shoulda been me, man. It shoulda been me." 

Tim sat Jim down in the chair behind him. "No, Jimmy, " he said. "It shouldn't have been anybody. NOBODY should have to be in that bed." Tim smiled. Lt. James Brody, for all his bravado and tough guy talk, was a big teddy bear. "It wasn't your fault, Jim," Tim said. "It wasn't your fault." 

Brody shook his head. "I was the ranking officer--it shoulda been--" 

"I don't blame you for this, Jim," Tim said. "It's not your fault. I don't think it's your fault, Jim." 

Brody shook his head. "But--" 

"Drop it, Jim," Tim ordered. "The last thing we all need to be assigning blame--the last thing LINN needs is for us to be pointing fingers at each other--or ourselves." He looked over at her for the first time. She looked so pale--so very pale. Tim looked at her hair, remembering how many times he had seen it fanned out like that, over his own chest, as she slept in his arms. "We've got to be strong--for her, now," he said. "We have to be her anchors right now." Tim ran his fingers through her hair. "We've got to be here for her--like she's been there for us." 

Miguel nodded. "She's gonna be, OK, Tim. You gotta believe that." 

Tim smiled at his friend. "I know she is, Mig," he said. "You said it, not me. She's strong. Stronger than any of us." 

Miguel stared at Tim. "You heard all of that?" 

Tim nodded. "Every word." He grabbed Ortiz's hand. "Thank you, Mig. Thanks for taking care of my girl." 

Miguel smiled, and clapped Tim on the shoulder. "My pleasure, man. Come on, Brody. You look whipped." 

"But--" Brody said. 

Miguel grabbed his good arm. "Tim probably needs to be alone right now," he said quietly. "He hasn't been down here yet." 

"Oh," Brody said, the realization hitting him. "I am kind of tired." 

"Take care, Jim," Tim said. "Get some rest. You're not gonna do her any good if you're exhausted." 

"I didn't do her much good while I was fine," Brody muttered. 

"Knock it off, Brody," Tim said, settling into his seat. "Get some sleep." 

 

He sat next to the bed in Medbay, searching for any sign that the woman laying there heard him, or felt his presence next to her. He was stroking her pale face, brushing the stray wisps of dark brown hair from her cheeks. "I know you can hear me, deep in there," he whispered. "I know you can feel me. I love you so much. Please," he said, his voice cracking. "Please come back to me. Please, Linnie. Come back. Don't leave me." Tim O'Neill lay his head on her barely moving chest, stroking her face. "Come back to me, Linn--"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are people in Aislinn's former life that try and have a bearing on the current one.

It was bright here. The last thing she remembered was Mig, talking to Tim...that was 'Tim' she had heard him say? She was so very tired. She had to close her eyes, they were so heavy. "Tell him, I know, Mig," she remembered saying. "Tell him I know." 

 

Aislinn Elizabeth MacMurdo started to get up off the floor. _Why on earth am I on the floor?_ , she wondered, as she looked down. She wasn't wearing her uniform. She was wearing a white dress, and her feet were bare. She pushed her bangs away from her face, and realized that her right leg didn't hurt anymore. She lifted the hem of her skirt. There were no marks, no cuts on her leg. "What's going on here?" she said aloud. "What IS this place?" She looked around. The room was totally white. The walls and floor seemed to pulse with a warm light. There seemed to be a doorway--there was no door she could see. The light that came from that door was blinding--yet warm and comforting. She longed to reach out, embrace that temperate glow. "What is this place?" she murmured again. 

"A between place," she heard from behind her. "It's a--halfway point, between here and the other world." 

Aislinn's eyes got wide. That voice. It wasn't possible for her to be hearing that voice. The person that voice belonged to was dead. 

"Quite honestly, it's whatever you want it to be, eduial," she heard. 

Aislinn turned her head slowly. She didn't want to believe what she saw. "MUM?" 

The woman standing behind her was tall and slender. Her blonde hair glowed and her own green eyes were filled with love. "Hullo, love," she said to her daughter. 

"But--but--Mummy, yer dead!" Aislinn exclaimed. "Ye've been dead--oh my," she said. "Oh, Mum, is that what's happened--am I--" 

"No darling," Elizabeth MacMurdo said to her daughter, taking her hands and bringing her to her feet. "Like I said--it's an in-between place. A place where you still have a choice. Where you can decide whether or not life is worth goin' back to." 

Aislinn looked around her. The walls of the room were dimming. At her feet, she suddenly saw a scene from her completion ceremony day of university, making a short speech as the highest earner of a double honour in her college. The scene shifted to Basic training, the night before she nearly packed up and left reading a letter on her bed before lights out. Her and Lucas, playing with Darwin in the moonpool...the Medbay on seaQuest. She saw a still, small figure, lying on a bed. "Jim," she said. He looked like he was crying. 

"Aye," her mother said. "James Brody. He's a good soul, Linnie. I can see why ye did what ye did." 

Linn looked at her mother. "How do ye know about---" 

Elizabeth laughed. "If ye couldn't tell, I check in on ye, from time to time, just to see how and what yer doin'." She stroked her daughter's long hair. "I'm very proud o' ye, Aislinn Elizabeth. Yer a fine, fine sailor. And a finer woman. Ye've done, well, lass," she said. 

Aislinn hugged her mother tight. "It don't mean I don't miss you, Mum. Everyday." 

Elizabeth smiled, and pointed. "He misses you, right now," she said. 

Linn looked down. She saw Tim, sitting next to her. At least--it looked like her. She looked so pale. It was strange, to look down and see yourself sleeping. Aislinn chuckled. "If that's what I look like when I'm asleep, I should do it all the time," she said. Tim sleeping, one arm wrapped around her waist, his head resting in the crook of his arm. "I must be in pretty bad shape," she noted. "Tim looks like he--I mean, he looks awful." 

Her mother laughed. "Jes like ye, lass, to remember decorum," she said. 

They both looked down at Tim O'Neill. He was stroking 'Aislinn's' face. He was whispering something. Aislinn could barely hear him. "Oh Mum," she said. "Mum, what's he saying?" 

"Would you like to hear?" Elizabeth asked. 

Aislinn nodded. There was a slight whispering, she could barely make it out. Then it got a little louder, and finally, she could make out Tim's voice in her ears. 

"I know you can hear me, deep in there," he was saying. "I know you can feel me. I love you so much. Please," he said, his voice cracking. "Please come back to me. Please, Linnie. Come back. Don't leave me." Tim O'Neill lay his head on her barely moving chest, stroking her face. "Come back to me, Linn--" 

Aislinn bowed her head. Tears were falling slowly down her face. "I can hear him, Mummy," she said. 

"I know, darlin'," Elizabeth replied. 

"I've made me choice--haven't I?" Aislinn said. 

"Not yet," Elizabeth replied. "There's still time--but it will be harder, now. If you want to go back." 

"But, you don't want to stay here," she heard another voice say. "You have to go back." 

Aislinn spun around in surprise and shock. 

Oliver Hay stood there, also in white, smiling at his wife. "You belong in the world. You belong with him." 

"That's her choice to make, Oliver!" Elizabeth snapped. "Ye've no right to be here!" 

"The Master sent me, same as you, Elizabeth!" he roared. "I've every right--" 

"Och, jus' like old times," Aislinn muttered. 

 

Tim felt Aislinn take a breath in. Her chest didn't fall. It stopped. 

"DR. SMITH!" Tim yelled as the monitor started to shriek. "Dr. SMITH!" 

Wendy came barrelling into the room. 

"She stopped breathing!" Tim was babbling. "She just stopped--" 

"I can't help her if you're in the way, Tim!" Wendy snapped. 

"I won't leave her!" Tim snapped back 

 

"TIM!!" Aislinn reached her hand out. "Tim, no! Don't go, Tim! Stay with me, Timothy!" 

Oliver looked at his wife, then Elizabeth. "I'd say her choice was pretty much made, don't you?" he said to Elizabeth. 

"She has to say it Oliver," she snapped. "You know the rules." 

"Aye. I know them," he said. He took Linn's hand. "Listen to me." 

She turned, shaking her head. "I can't let them--Tim needs--" 

"Why do you need Tim?" Oliver asked. 

"Because I love him," she said. "Isn't that enough?" 

Oliver shook his head. "Don't try and make me feel better. I--I knew-we weren't working. That's why when I came here, I chose to stay--to die. I chose death, so that you could have a happier life." He took his former wife's face in his hands. "Tell me, Aislinn. Tell me why you love Tim." 

She looked deep into Oliver's blue eyes. "He's--Tim's me other half," she said. "I always felt like somethin' was missin' in me life, like I was incomplete, somehow--until the day Tim walked into it." She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Ollie--" 

"Don't be, luv. I knew things weren't the best between us, when I left." 

"I should have worked harder to be a good wife--" 

Oliver chuckled. "You don't get it yet, do you? We weren't meant to be together. Not like you and your Mr. O'Neill. Hell of a sailor, by the way," he added. 

Aislinn shook her head. "You've been watching us?" she said, blushing. 

"From time to time," Oliver said. "Elizabeth and I, we've been watching out for ye, in our own ways." He looked down. Aislinn followed his gaze to the growing crowd of medical staffers working around her inert form. "It's time, Aislinn," he said. "It's time to choose." 

She looked back and forth between them. "Couldn't I stay just a bit longer?" she pleaded. "I miss ye. Both." 

"You have to choose, Aislinn," Elizabeth said. "Here--or life, with all the pain that goes with it--" 

"Choose, Aislinn," Oliver said. "Here--with us--or life--and Tim. And love." 

Aislinn looked down at Tim, wringing his hands together, next to Jim Brody's bedside. Miguel hovering over them both. "Come on, Linn," she hear Mig said. "Don't do this to him, mija."   
There was no decision left to make. Not really. 

Aislinn looked at her mother. "I'm sorry, Mummy," she said. 

Elizabeth MacMurdo nodded her head. "I knew," she smiled, "that we wouldn't have long together, my love." she held her daughter close to her, stroking her hair. "I love you, Aislinn," she said. 

Aislinn hugged Oliver. "I always loved you, Ollie. Truly I did." 

He rocked her back and forth. "I know ye did. I know---" 

 

"Charge 350! Clear!!" 

Whu-THUMP 

"Nothing, Dr. Smith!" 

"Again!" 

"Charge 350! Clear!" 

Whu-THUMP 

Blip, blip, weeeeeeeeeeeee 

"Dammit, Linn! AGAIN! Increase charge!" 

"Charge at maximum! Clea--" 

Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. 

"WAIT!" Wendy Smith shouted. She watched the monitor as the jagged line that represented her patient's heart beat blipped in a regular rhythm. Then she jumped as she felt a hand on her arm. 

"I'm up--already," Aislinn whispered. 

 

Wendy stuck her head in the room where Brody, Ortiz and O'Neill were sitting. "Can you come in here for a minute, Tim?" she asked. 

Tim looked at his friends, then walked over to Wendy. "What is it, Doctor?" he asked, looking at Wendy's sad face. _She can't be--oh God, please, don't let her be--_

"Can you please come in here and make your girlfriend shut up? She's driving my staff crazy," Wendy said with a relived smile on her face. It was always better when she could end a day like today with check marks in the ‘alive’ column.


	5. Chapter 5

Linn's prognosis was better than had been previously hoped. There wasn't much lasting damage to her leg. She'd be up and about in a week or so. Lucas' hacking through the colony database had turned up a wealth of information, including the fact that the hybrid snake that had attacked MacMurdo actually released a cobra-like neurotoxin, but it behaved like the normal rattlesnake cardiotoxin, travelling through her bloodstream before it attacked her nervous system. Wendy's remedy had taken a lot of on the fly chemical remastering of the anti-toxins she had aboard. There were many questions that Nathan Bridger was going to have for Charles Ford to answer.

 

"You saw heaven?" Tim asked, amazed. 

"Nuh-uh," Aislinn said, shaking her head. It had been two days since she nearly died, and Tim was at her bedside, as usual. He'd been back on duty since she awoke up, but he spent all his free time in Medbay. 

"You said there was a bright light," Tim pressed. 

"Yes," said Aislinn. She was finally strong enough to string together a few sentences, and Tim was careful not to tire her, but his curiosity got the better of him. "It was--a room. The light was at one end. And I saw--Ollie. And me mother." 

"Oliver?" Tim asked. 

"I--I had to choose," she said, taking Tim's hand in hers. "Between here and there--between life with or without you--really. I guess." 

Tim squeezed her hand. "You chose to stay here?" he asked dumbfounded. 

"No," she whispered. "I chose YOU, ye daft--" 

"Hey, kiddo, how's it goin'?" they heard from the doorway. They both turned to see Miguel Ortiz, Tony Piccolo, and lagging behind, Jim Brody. 

Linn smiled. "Hi, Mig, Tony--is that Jimmy back there?" She motioned to them with her free hand. "C'mon in, you lot." 

Tony stood in one corner, while Miguel pulled a chair over on the other side of Linn's bed. "Hey, you look great, mija," he said, taking her hand and squeezing. 

"I feel better than I look, that's for sure," she said. 

"Sweetcheeks, you could be pink with blue polka dots," Piccolo chirped, "and still knock 'em dead. Right, Tim?" 

"Absolutely," Tim replied, kissing her cheek. Then he gave Tony a look. "Don't call her that, Piccolo." 

Tony shrugged, a wicked grin on his face. 

She waved off their compliments. "Enough with ye, ye silver-tongued demons," she laughed. She looked at Jim, trying to sneak out of the room. "What happened to your arm, Jimmy?" she asked loudly. Tim had told her most of the story of what happened at the colony, but she wanted Jim to tell her. "You finally ticked somebody's boyfriend off enough to--" 

"Uh, nothin', Mac," he muttered. "Just got banged up--no big--" 

Tim whispered in her ear. She nodded. "Uh, Mig, Tony, I know you just got here, but could you excuse me and Jimmy for a moment?" 

"Yeah, sure, Mac," Ortiz said, standing up. He moved towards the door with Tony and, surprisingly, Tim. 

"We'll be right outside if you need anything, Linn," Tim said, closing the door. 

Linn motioned Brody closer to the bed. "Sit, Jim," she said, in a voice that dared him to say 'no'. 

Brody did as he was told. 

"I know about yer arm, Jim," she said. "Tim told me almost everything...." 

"Then he told you how this is MY fault." 

"Jimmy, this is nobody's fault," she said, "Excepting, maybe, the fools who were mucking about down there." She took his hands. "They told me that YOU almost lost yer arm, trying to keep that thing away from Tony long enough for him to get back to seaQuest. Dinnae think I'll be forgetting that, boyo," she said. She smiled. "Or the dinner you promised me and Tim at Wayfarer's. Or was it Quarry's?" she winked. 

"You heard that?" 

Aislinn nodded. "Almost every word, Jimmy. I--was starting to tell Tim. There was this--this room--and my mother and my husband were there--and I had to choose. Whether or not I wanted to come back to life." 

Brody squeezed her hand. "You were dead?" 

Linn thought a moment. "Not quite--almost--I don't really know, Jimmy," she said. "What I do know, is that I had to choose. I had to choose to go to that glorious light, or to stay here, and deal with life." 

"Hell of a choice," Brody said. 

Linn smiled. "Not really, in the end," she said. She took Brody's good hand in hers. "Everything I love, everything I need is HERE; my work, my friends...Tim." She looked towards the door. "There's so much I have here that's good, Jim--and something tells me, I'm not finished with whatever my life is supposed to be. Maybe this whole thing happened for a reason. Maybe it happened so I would learn to never take things for granted--to know that there are good people who love me, and are watching my back for me. Like I watch their backs for them," she said pointedly. "So I dinnae want to hear about you beating up on yerself about this anymore, Jimmy," she ordered. "Or I'm going to stuff you in one of the torpedo tubes and make Tony push the button." 

Brody snorted. "You and what army?" he retorted. 

Linn smiled. 

Jim shook his head, and hugged her tight. "Thanks, kid." 

She hugged him back. "Anytime, Jimmy."


	6. EPILOUGE

It wasn't often Aislinn got back home these days. But she made a special point of flying out to Edinburgh on her next furlough. She made an even more special point of heading out to to Haywick, the ancient seat of clan Hay. She sat on the stone slab that marked what would have been the last resting place of Oliver Edward Hay. It was a memorial site, since Ollie's body had never been recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic. She used to come here often. Everyday, it seemed at one point...but it had been nearly two years since her last visit, and she'd been avoiding it long enough. She laid the single red rose at the top of the stone, and sat, not saying anything. She traced the letters of his name, wrapped herself in the memories that, for the first time in long months, didn't bring her guilt. She smiled to herself, and she turned her head to look at her companion, standing respectfully a distance away.   
"I'm ready," she said, holding up her hand. "It's time." 

 

Tim O'Neill took her outstretched hand and brought her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. "You sure, eduial?" he asked, the moor wind whipping his hair around. 

She looked up at him and nodded. "I'm sure," she said. "It's past time I said goodbye--it's what Ollie wanted--for me to let him go." She looked down at the marker, knowing that this was the last time she would ever step foot here. "It's time," she said again, the wind drying the tears on her cheek. 

Tim stroked her cheek gently. 

She turned and smiled at him. "Take me home, Tim," she sighed. 

He nodded. "You want lunch when we get back?" he asked. 

She shook her head. "Not the house," she said. "HOME. seaQuest." 

Tim looked puzzled. "seaQuest?" he asked. 

She nodded. "Aye," she said. "seaQuest. Take me HOME, Timothy," she repeated. "Take me home." 

Tim stood on the moor with Aislinn in his arms, the cold wind biting his face, confused as all hell. 

Then the implication of her words struck him. How many times had he told her that seaQuest was the first place he had ever truly felt at home? Anytime the two of them had gone anywhere for more than three days, Tim always started complaining about going home. And he always meant seaQuest. 

And now, SHE wanted to go home. To the hustle and bustle of seaQuest. 

With those three words, she had told Tim where she was casting her lot. 

With him. 

 

He kissed her forehead, as he turned her from the cold stone marker towards the car. "Sure, angel," he said. "Let's go home." 

 

Unknown to the young couple, the rose left on the marker began to shimmer and glow with a preternatural light. The faint outline of a tallish man held the rose in his hand, a smile on his ghostly face. "That's right," he whispered. "Go on home."

**Author's Note:**

> Tim O'Neill, James Brody, Miguel Ortiz, Tony Piccolo, and other members of the crew of the seaQuest were created by Rockne O'Bannon and Amblin Productions.


End file.
